We were able to tour this great spot just before they move. Can't wait to check out their new digs on a subsequent trip! So much creative beauty and the gift shop is to die for! I fell in love with so many pieces. read more

See all

When it comes to museums, this is a unique find. The exhibits change pretty frequently and are unlike anything I've seen at other museums. I also love the gorgeous outdoor grounds! You can plan to spend 2 hours or less walking around and watching live demonstrations. I believe they also offer scheduled classes, so check the website. The museum is small, but for $8 per adult, I think it's worth it for a unique day out. read more

Metal Museum - Art Museums Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I found this museum's website by chance when researching my trip to Memphis and I am glad I did. The museum is small, but I really enjoyed the super friendly staff, beautiful museum grounds, and unique metal art pieces. The museum is 3 buildings: a front building with ticket desk, gift shop, and 2 small galleries. I was in AWE of the metal balloon sculptures in the 2nd story gallery here. The second building is a white gallery building with two additional small galleries. Be sure to open the drawers in the second story gallery for more awesome metal pieces. The third building is a metal shop and foundry that has artists in residence working on projects and doing scheduled demonstrations throughout the day. I also really enjoyed the museum's grounds with art work around and a lovely gazebo seating area overlooking the Mississippi River and Big River bridge. I spent just over an hour here and felt I saw everything, but was glad I went! Also be aure to spend some time checking out all the small art pieces on the entry gates! read more

See all

We grew up in this area. We had a grocery store here in the 1950s. There were several companies like ESSO (Exxon). The city bought us out to develop new homes but really never happened. There is a Desoto Park (Chickasaw Heritage Park) which is beautiful park. It has a Native American burial hillside, a military bunker hill (once occupied by the Spanish, they use to have canons there , a concrete small walk in pool), Chickasaw Heritage Park, across the street is fairly new set of apartments (the owner kept the building structurally and was a old US military hospital), and next to the building is the Metal Museum. The Metal Museum has very interesting artifacts. They have outdoor companies and weddings events in the past. A very cool place to visit and affordable if you are into that sort thing. read more

This museum isn't huge, but it's well priced, unique, interesting, and in a beautiful location. I went specifically for the African American Metal Workers exhibit, which had some great history and metalwork pieces. It was well curated and presented. The grounds on which the museum stand are beautiful! Metal sculpture garden in which to stroll, and a nice gazebo with a bench, where you can enjoy the river view and reflect on your day in Memphis. It's almost like a campus, with older homes and large trees and beautiful gardens. I imagine the real attraction here is to watch the metal workers working in the shop, but none were out on this particular day (perhaps due to the searing temps, they work earlier in the morning or later in the evening). I would recommend this stop, if for nothing else, a respite from downtown. read more

See all

This is as advertised a museum of metal. It's actually called the national museum of ornamental metal and that's a bit more accurate but Metal Museum sounds a lot cooler. The main building is fairly small but has enough to qualify as a museum on its own, especially given the relatively cheap admission price. There are also lots of sculptures on the grounds as well as a foundry where you can watch the artists work and/or get demonstrations of how a foundry works. Overall both very cool and a bit underwhelming at the same time. Feels a bit more like a campus for metal work than a museum and maybe that's what it is... it definitely feels unique to other museums I've been to. Would recommend if you're looking for a relatively chill, cheap Memphis experience. 60-90 minutes is enough time to experience it all. read more

See all

If you like art then add this musuem to your list, close on Mondays, quick stroll, they offer classes if you looking for a new hobby to explore.. read more

Metal Museum - Hours of operation - Art Museums Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

This review is for the event space at The Metal Museum. My friend had her wedding at The Metal Museum this past weekend and I was blown away at the waterfront views and the historical buildings. I wish I had arrived earlier in the day to explore the actual museum!!! The grounds were immaculate, the restrooms clean, and the food was delicious (although I'm assuming it was catered out?). I loved the outdoor lighting that was illuminated once the sun went down. But, I must say, it was a rather cold November night and the wedding was outdoors. While there were giant tents set up, there just weren't enough heaters to keep guests warm. Whether the museum had more heaters is a mystery but anyways - even just walking around the grounds is fantastic. I hope to someday go back and explore the museum! read more

Super cool fun thing to do on a sunny afternoon there is lots of neat things to look at and you can open drawers and look and they also have things for sale. You can watch blacksmiths and even take a class. read more

Interesting little museum dedicated to art made of metals. When we visited this past weekend, the museum had a great exhibit of work by a particular metalsmith (Lisa Gralnick), whose work was whimsical and fun and had a great sense of humor. It was also beautiful and intricate and interesting to view. The permanent collection (housed in a separate building) is small but interesting. You can also wander through two buildings used for metalmaking projects. While the museum is on the smaller side, the admission fee is very reasonable and the museum is very different from a typical art museum. Well worth a visit, especially if there's an intriguing exhibit! read more

See all

If you've never explored the local museums here in Memphis you're missing out!!! It's always so funny to hear "Memphian's" say, "there's nothing to do here" and want to move to another city. If people would take the time to explore Memphis true gems that have been around for years' you'd discover there's LOTS to do!! You have to change your mindset. ‍ With that said, take a trip to the Metal Museum to see some exciting history and exhibits. It's a quaint museum so an hour or 1.5 hours should be enough if you really "explore" the artwork. I was amazed at the library, not with books but with art!! I'll let you explore for yourself and I'm sure you'll be pleased. I would suggest to visit in the Spring time to enjoy the River views and perhaps have lunch on one do the metal made benches or Pavilion. We went on a day when it was high 30's and fun tip it was unexpectedly free due to "Celebrating 40 Years". SUPPORT LOCAL!!! read more

Metal Museum - Art Museums Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

See all

Incredibly surprising and fascinating day For awhile now, my wife has wanted to go to the National Ornamental Metal Museum which now goes by The Metal Museum. Well, we recently were able to go and take in all of fascinating creations of many skilled artisans. Although we started by enjoying the exhibits in the main building, we were also glad we went to the "Library". Alas, no - it was not only a collection of books but an entire collection of other metalworks and creations that were incredible. This place has all types of items on display from the metal sculptures throughout to the knives, jewelry, padlocks and even handcuffs - all from years gone by. One of the "non-metal" aspects of this museum has to be the spectacular views from the Bluff on which the museum and buildings are housed. Situated high above the Mississippi River just south of downtown Memphis, the views both up and down the river are worth viewing and are as much a part of your visit as the exhibits. We were blessed with a pleasant breeze and cool temperatures, late in the month May in Memphis mind you. Did I mention the gorgeous sunshine and summer clouds? All of this in addition to the exhibits on display - what a great visit! read more

See all

I love metal sculptures, so this was a fun place to visit. It consists of two buildings, with art displayed in both buildings. There was a very cool display of knives, as well as some hands-on exhibits, and motion-activated small metal sculptures. There were also metal sculptures scattered throughout the grounds - many of which were so cool and quirky it was like a game to find them and figure out what they might be. I wish they had more art displayed in the buildings - they have the space to do so, they just didn't have the art, I guess. You will probably get through both buildings in under an hour. They do have a great gift shop in the first building with a ton of interesting and unique items, plus fabulous jewelry. I had to talk myself out of buying many things just because they would be too heavy in my suitcase. The weekend we were there they were having a blacksmiths conference, so we got to see world famous blacksmith Michael E. Roberts teaching a class. I recommend visiting on a nice day so you can wander around outside, and enjoy the views from this huge property on the Mississippi River. read more

See all

This place is absolutely beautiful and has a killer view of the river. Therefore it makes complete sense that this is one of my favorite wedding venues in Memphis too. I remember coming here as a little girl on field trips...and visiting as adult brings back fond memories. They do metal demonstrations on the weekends and their collections are pretty awesome (both visiting and permanent). There is something peaceful and magical about this place. You forget that you're in Memphis. Or well, this is Memphis at its best. There is a park across the street as well as burial mounds (picnic before or afterwards?). Very cool spot to take the kids or makes for a unique date! P.S. Don't forget to pop in the museum store! They have incredible jewelry, arts, and gifts. read more

Metal Museum - Art Museums Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Prior to my most recent visit to the Metal Museum, the last bronze objects I looked at were made thousands of years ago thousands of miles away. The Metal Museum delighted me with some bronze objects made in recent years right here in the United States. The great thing about bronze objects is that they improve with age (the green patina layer takes many years to develop under natural weathering or in modern days it can be applied by the distressing process). You never know what far away lands these bronze objects may end up in to intrigue other beings millenia later. There is no doubt that keyless entry or retina identification is sophisticated and convenient, especially for someone who routinely misplaces her keys, yet I do miss a time when making locks and keys was an art which the Metal Museum will remind you of. I missed last year's master metalsmith exhibition so I very much look forward to this year's. In the meantime, the emerging metalsmiths' works are not to be missed: they can be intricate or imposing, at the very least interesting! The admission is very reasonable at $6 but do watch out for the gift shop if you are on a budget (who isn't?). They have some unique (albeit a little pricey) pieces that are hard to resist. I can not leave the museum without giving myself at least 10 minutes gazing at the Mississippi. As I watched barges wind their way around the riverbend, I felt I may have found a true piece of Americana. read more

Metal Museum - Art Museums Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

See all

I love the Metal Museum! The name has always intrigued me but since Memphis is such a large industrial area and the Museums location, right off of 55, where there are factories galore I also assumed the Metal Museum was an exhibit of machinery through the ages, different types of metal and industrial equipment. I was so very wrong! The Metal Museum is an art museum only a lot more interesting! I loved all of the interesting jewelry and sculptures scattered on the grounds. There were so many great picnic spots and the gazebo overlooking the river was beautiful. The blacksmiths were a very interesting crowd as well, it was fascinating seeing the delicate things they were making out of metal rods. Almost a lost art. The gift shop had some pretty awesome things but was a little pricey. I think the Metal Museum is a hidden gem and I would love to see more things done to the area it is in. Why can't they have a bistro on location, the grounds have a very romantic feel and I think that would help expose the interesting beauty that is hidden behind those amazing gates. read more

See all

Very cool, we stopped by while they were about to have a forging exhibit, cool pieces, nice lawn/hill area across the street.

This a nice hideaway gem the metal art is amazing all of the old buildings sets the ambiance off very nice. read more

See all

$6 museum entry gives you access to museum exhibits, and you can walk around to other parts of the grounds (library building, smithy workshop). Lots of outdoor sculptures and nice views of the Mississippi River as well. All around great way to spend an hour of your afternoon read more

While it was interesting, it was not what we expected. There were some interesting pieces, but we appreciated seeing the old buildings more. The gates fascinated us the most with their uniqueness. Was it worth it? Using Groupon, yes. read more

Metal Museum - The gate at the entrance... - Art Museums Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

What a fantastic Museum! Family Friendly with indoor and outdoor artwork right on the Mississippi River. Wonderfully knowledgeable and friendly staff Beautiful jewelry and gifts for purchase Will be back again!! read more

See all

Awesome! If you are into metal work, this museum is for you! Off the beaten path, along the banks of the Mississippi. 5 minutes from Beale Street. Fabulous metal work! Super friendly staff. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. Don't forget to check out their workshop and if you have time check out one of their classes. ;) read more

See all

Can't speak to the value, because when we arrived we were told the admission was free that day due to an event they were having! Score! I would definitely call this a hidden gem in Memphis. A nice place to visit when you're all Elvised out and have been to one too many music attractions and BBQ places. Family friendly too, as long as your kids can manage to keep their hands off the sculptures. It calls itself a museum but I think it is really more of an art gallery that does demonstrations. There is a main building that houses the art exhibits and a store full of beautiful hand made metal jewelry and other items. There were a few exhibitors when we were there and I really enjoyed looking at their creations. It's fun to think about how they made something and what gave them the idea. There is also a blacksmith shop and a forgers shop, and that's where the fun is. They have blacksmithing demonstrations and casting demonstrations a couple of times a day and those are not to be missed. I now know way more about blacksmithing than I probably need to, but it was really fun to learn from a woman (yes,woman!) who was obviously very passionate about her craft. The woman (yes, again a woman!) doing the aluminum casting was also very knowledgeable. I really feel like I could do some of this based on the detailed explanations they gave us. Outside, there are a number of metal sculptures and a really beautiful river overlook that you can linger over. This is not an all-day attraction, you can probably see the exhibits and demonstrations in roughly 2 hours. One last little enticement to visit...they have a bowl of free-range M&M's in the main building that guests can help themselves to! Run, don't walk! read more

I had a great experience touring the National Ornamental Metal Museum! The visiting/temporary exhibit is very interesting. It involves lots of rock/metal jewelry and sculpture and some stained glass/metal pieces. Definitely worth it to spend about 2 hours here if you live in the area and haven't been (or haven't been in a while.) I went on a Sunday while some workshops were going on and it was neat to watch people blacksmithing! We didn't really see too much of the Foundry, but that was going on as well. This museum has many unique art pieces, student tickets are only $4, the views of the river are lovely, and they have good hours. Go check out the Metal Museum! read more

See all

This was our first time at the Metal Museum, and we were pleasantly surprised. There's a lot more that people can do with this medium than we had been expecting. There were a lot of beautiful exhibits, and I have now decided that I MUST take a blacksmithing class!! We will definitely be back! read more

See all

This place is a hidden gem of Memphis. I went here this past weekend and was so glad I did. Heads up, because they were having some craft thing that day, I didn't have to pay admission. I came prepared to pay though, and given the admission is like $4 it's not expensive. The museum itself is neat, spread out over a couple buildings. All the sculptures are really interesting to look at. There's also a smithy where you can see stuff get made and even take classes. The outside is gorgeous too, lots of additional sculptures to see and the buildings are nice. The fence is amazing. Plus there's views of the river, definitely a huge plus. If the weather's nice, you can stand outside on an upper balcony in one of the buildings and just stare at the river, people watch, etc. read more

First of all, I'm biased since Poopsie works there. That being said, NOMM is one of the great treasures Memphis has. The exhibits change every few months and they are always interesting. The grounds of the museum are awesome, it has one of the best views of the Mississippi., especially at sunset. For $5 you can tour the museum and see the current exhibit. Keep an eye on the Flyer for when they change exhibits. Usually there is a reception on the Saturday or Sunday afternoon, where you can meet the artist. Don't forget to visit the Gift Shop. Say hello to Poopsie, the most excellent Gift Shop Manager. The shop has all kinds of cool stuff made by metalsmiths both locally and in North America. You can find unique jewelry that you won't find anywhere else. If your tastes run that way, you could commission one of the staff artists to create something just for you. Secret Hint: The Gift Shop sells jewelry made by Ann Dick. Ann Dick is the wife of Philip K. Dick, the science fiction writer. He wrote a number of novels and short stories (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, The Man in the High Castle), some of which have been made into movies (Blade Runner, Minority Report). He is dead now. His wife is 80 and has just given up metalwork. If you can still snag a piece of her work at the gift shop, it will be a unique piece. If you're real cheap, it doesn't cost anything to tour the grounds, visit the smithy and the foundry, see the artwork on display outside. Bring your lunch and eat in the gazebo overlooking the river. You can meet some of the staff, either working in the museum or working in the smithy or the foundry. If you've always wanted to beat hot metal with a large hammer, you can sign up for classes. It's fun. In October, there's Repair Days. They will repair almost any metal objects you can bring in at a reasonable cost. They can sharpen dull knives tools, but not wit. read more

I have to say I was a little disappointed with the Metal Museum. My wife and I were checking the place out as a possible venue for our wedding and of course decided to tour the museum itself while we were there. There is some good art, but nothing too spectacular for our taste. However, we did enjoy watching some of the artists in action. Overall, the museum part was okay but we found that they were charging a lot more than what we would want to pay to use the venue for the wedding and they required we use their approved vendors for the food and equipment. Limiting the vendor choice to their approved vendors made this an unacceptable choice for us. read more

Nice hidden gem. Quaint galleries of local & national exhibits. I went for champagne & chocolate Sunday. Nice free event. Some very eclectic pieces. It's amazing all the things you can create with metal. It was pretty cool seeing real blacksmiths at work. read more

See all

A Hidden Gem in Memphis This museum is a gem off the beaten path in Memphis,but, well worth it. The buildings are beautiful as is the location. The quality and the craftmanship of the artwork is outstanding. The views of the river are compelling. This museum is well worth the trip to find it and the quality of the artwork really sets this museum apart from so many others. read more

I have lived In memphis my whole life and this was my first visit ! The property is beautiful ! Historic buildings and a beautiful view of the old bridge and the river ! We made bracelets out of copper , ate from food trucks ! The event takes place on thurs nights there has drinks and live music ! I really enjoyed myself ! read more

Metal Museum - Art Museums Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

This is such a cute date place. I imagine this is for you Memphis College of Art kids! There are interesting metal pieces in the travelling and permanent collections. It's pretty cheap if you're a student ($3), and when you're done you can tour the grounds. There is a nice gazebo you can sit and have a picnic with your date, overlooking the Mississippi. You can even forget for 5 minutes that the river is dirty. The people are incredibly nice and helpful here! read more

Loved visiting this little museum. They had a lot of great exhibits, and it was so fun learning about the process of metal work. Plan to spend about 90 minutes walking around this museum. There's plenty of parking out front on the street and a nice park across the street if you want to picnic. read more

NOMM's the best Metal Museum I've ever been to. That said, it's a pretty niche subject. The museum is pretty small, but has some great examples of historic and modern metalworking. Definitely worth a browse if you have any interest in metal, whether that's art or practical. The shop's fantastic, but the highlight for me was definitely the smithy and the grounds: the view of the Mississippi is indeed fantastic, with some amazing pieces overlooking it. The smithy deserves its own entry, seriously: the guys there were super friendly and put up with our incessant questions for a good forty-five to an hour. It's fascinating watching the folks work and seeing the ins and outs of crafting metal. read more

What a delightful way to spend an afternoon! The museum has some great exhibits of metalwork throughout history, but the most interesting pieces are more recent; they feature touring exhibits and host resident artists for fellowships, and collect pieces from a variety of artists. You can watch some of the artists working in the shop and take classes yourself. Even the gift shop is a great display of artwork - it was hard for me to get out of there without spending hundreds of dollars. The staff we interacted with were nice and helpful, and the visit was well worth the price of admission. My only complaint was that it was raining during out visit, and we weren't able to enjoy lingering in the sculpture garden. Just another good reason to go back. The museum is located on the site of the old merchant marine hospital, right on the river. They've restored a couple of the buildings to use as the museum campus, and they add such interest and character. (Now if only they could find someone to restore the main hospital building next door - it's like a miniature Hogwarts or something. Gorgeous architecture just left to rot...) read more

If you are into sculpture, this is a great place to visit. Fun to tour, great gift shop too. Fun spot to view the river. Interesting old buildings, with exhibits that are constantly changing. Because black smithing as an art form is a modern movement, most artists are alive. You can sometimes even buy the displayed pieces for a reasonable price. Really fun place to visit. read more

I love going out to this place and should do it more often. It is small kind of hidden away by the Mississippi River...not a lot on display but what they have is very unique. They have a store were you can buy jewelry and other things from artist all over the country. It is a great place to get some one of a kind jewelry. They have classes and apprentice programs if you would like to learn their craft. They do metal pours a few times a month you can go and buy item molds have them personalized and they will pour it for you while you watch. I would recommended this place for anyone. They told me they change all the items in their store regularly so I am going to try to make it a point to stop in every couple of months. read more

So interesting. Very creative sculptures. The whole process of smithing and metal crafting can be observed and experienced. read more

See all

It doesnot take a very long time to tour the metal works museum, unless you take to chatting with one of the blacksmiths hard at work in the apprenticeship shop. But while it's a quick tour, it's an altogether enjoyable one. On the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi, the view and grounds are gorgeous. The metal sculptures that dot the landscape add whismy and interest to an already naturally beautiful scene. We lived here for two years and waited until our last week or so to visit, and then regretted it terribly because this definitely would have been a stop on our "standard tour of Memphis" for out of town guests. Went to a rehearsal dinner here a couple of weeks ago - it makes for a great event space as well, provided the weather cooperates. read more

I'll be honest. I have little/no interest on a day-to-day basis in metal working, metal arts, and the like. My family came to town and we were driving around down by the river and spotted this kind of older, cool building and they insisted on going. I found that I had some appreciation for the intricacy of the craft. The process is painstaking, and as someone who paints and draws, my hat goes off to those who pour and solder, and glaze. The exhibit showcased steampunk-esque tables, shining knifes, and more abstract metal work. For five bucks it was worth it. read more